Human waste from a person undergoing chemotherapy typically includes toxic chemicals that are carcinogenic. According to various estimates, about 20 to 98 percent of the administered chemotherapy drugs pass through the human body. As it is possible that even trace amounts of active cytotoxic drugs have the ability to cause miscarriages, birth defects, cancer, immunologic diseases and other environmentally triggered diseases, it is critical that health care workers, other caretakers and family members are protected from the contaminated wastes and any surfaces that may be contaminated with them.
Furthermore, when the bodily fluids are disposed of conventionally through the septic system and/or sewage treatment plant, several cytotoxic drugs are known to survive wastewater treatment and drinking water purification intact. Most current incineration technologies are not able to effectively eliminate the chemical materials so the dangerous chemicals may become airborne. As the bodily fluids are complex liquid waste, it is difficult and costly to safely transport the contaminated materials to facilities.
More advanced methodologies for disposing of such waste include transporting the waste to a facility at which the toxic chemicals are removed from the waste and recycled or disposed of in a environmentally safe manner. However, this conventional approach is complex and not cost efficient.